


A Quiet Hope

by CalicoNekoChi



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Bittersweet, F/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Squall sort of exists
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-12 04:46:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15332097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CalicoNekoChi/pseuds/CalicoNekoChi
Summary: 'Of course, luck was a double-edged sword. She’d always felt sympathy for the young wives and mothers throughout Winhill, but it wasn’t until now that she could empathize with them. Now her husband was gone; now her family was asphyxiated and cast away by the ongoing war.'With Laguna on a journey to save Ellone from Sorceress Adel, Raine's left to fight her own battle against solitude and a happy, but unexpected pregnancy.





	A Quiet Hope

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BloodStainsBlue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodStainsBlue/gifts).



Everything had settled down into a quiet, slow lull ever since Laguna had left last month to save Ellone. There were more monsters strolling through the dirt paths and cobblestone town center, but even their ruckus didn’t make up for boisterous laughs and uselessly optimistic pep talks. They couldn’t make up for the rushed patter of little legs racing down the stairs each morning or Ellone’s persistent chirping. Monsters could never fill the silent void that presently embraced Raine’s bar.

_Even if I know that these are dire circumstances…_

Raine’s thin fingers ran across the wooden bar counter. She recalled each and every imperfection. The noticeable slice where Ellone had dented the once flawless finish with glass shards and dampened the injured wood with frantic tears. There had only been a minor cut on her small hand, but her mind had been racing faster than her words could produce. The unremarkable dent Laguna’s hand had made when his healing legs had given out during his first day out of bed. Six months of bed rest had no doubt left his well-formed muscles weak, but he’d insisted on walking around again. Returning the town’s good will, as he’d put it.

_I just wish this war didn’t have to take more away._

Business was as slow as it had always been during the middle of the day. With all of the town’s young men in the army, Raine’s usual market had dwindled down to elderly men and exhausted mothers. Going outside was a battle in and of itself without Laguna patrolling the small town’s streets, too. Raine was always lucky whenever she managed to get a handful of people dared stop by in the evening anymore.

Of course, _luck_ was a double-edged sword. She’d always felt sympathy for the young wives and mothers throughout Winhill, but it wasn’t until now that she could empathize with them. Now _her_ husband was gone; now _her_ family was asphyxiated and cast away by the ongoing war. Her hand tightly gripped the water spicket behind the bar counter.

_I f_ _eel so selfish. Ellone is an orphan and I’m thinking like this?_

She grimaced and looked across the empty bar to the large town-facing window. For once, the square looked clear. A few young children were running around the large fountain with homemade toys in hand. _What game is it today?_ She tilted her head, noting a little boy hopping up on the edge of the fountain. He triumphantly raised his wooden chocobo high above his head, a large smile stretching from ear to ear until he fell into the cool water, courtesy of another child’s mischievous shove. His surprised squawk and the simultaneous laughter were even audible within the bar.

“Rambunctious today, too,” Raine brought her hand up to cover her soft laughter, letting her free hand subconsciously caress her firm stomach, “Please don’t be so troublesome.”

The poor boy’s mother was quick to storm out and rush to her damp son; the boy, only a bit dazed, just seemed to offer unsatisfactory answers to his mother’s hurried questions, though. Her shoulders slumped, but Raine thought she could see a smile when she squinted. The little boy was all bright smiles, though. He pulled himself to his feet and leaned over the side of the fountain, shaking his water-logged hair at his friends, and visibly laughing when they shrieked and pulled back.

Raine shook her head and turned her gaze down to her stomach. It had yet to swell enough to show through her yellow sweater or fill her hand when she touched it. However, the tenderness was unmistakable. Her breasts felt sore and were already threatening her bra seams, her ankles were uncomfortably bloated, and her lower back’s consistent throb was only starting to dull into a minor nuisance. The little bundle inhabiting her womb had yet to grasp life in their underdeveloped hands, but they were clearly not above making their presence known.

“I hope you don’t grow up to be difficult, too, little one,” she said, tapping just below her belly button, “Your father’s already a handful.”

Her gaze briefly flicked up to the window again, just in time to watch the little boy disappear inside with his mother. The remaining children returned to whatever game they’d been playing prior to their friend’s descent, this time further from the fountain. “You’re going to be the only one so young,” she breathed, bringing her lip between her teeth for a moment before quickly shaking her head, “For now. If you’re anything like your father, you’ll be a great older sibling to the new children.”

_The war has to end eventually. Their husbands will come back soon enough._

She took in a sharp deep breath. Her hand tightened just a bit around her abdomen before finally falling off to her side. _Negativity isn’t good for our baby_ , she firmly reminded herself. There probably wouldn’t come a day where she could fling everything that bothered her away with a smile and a laugh like Laguna could. But if she couldn’t try, their child might end up inheriting her pessimism. _Honestly, a pragmatist would be the best outcome,_ she chuckled again and stretched her arms high above her head. _They’d be able to see the world for what it is and what it can be._

The sudden chime from above the bar door snatched her out of her thoughts. As always, a faint light flickered in her chest and extinguished itself when she noticed one of the women from the flower shop down the road in the doorway. One day, it’d be Laguna and Ellone. For now, it was merely a neighbor stopping by for a midday chat. For now, Raine smiled politely and settled her hands on the bar counter as she offered the older woman a warm greeting she’d no doubt picked up from Laguna at some point.

_I hope you’re always surrounded by lively people, so you’re never lonely._


End file.
